The Minister of Communications, Barrister Abdur-Raheem Adebayo Shittu yesterday, in Abuja explained the present administration’s resolve to make Nigeria’s business environment safe and conducive for genuine investors.
He said the country currently hosts the highest volume of foreign and indigenous investors and still has the capacity to accommodate more.
According to him, “Nigeria is safe for investors and return on investment (ROI) is assured and our regulatory processes are open, effective and transparent”.
While playing host to the Swedish Minister of Trade and EU Affairs, Ms Ann Linde and the Swedish Business Delegation to Nigeria on Smart Cities, Innovation and ICT in his office, the Minister assured that the country is ready to re-strategize on how to attract more meaningful investments into the country from Sweden leveraging on the ICT sector.
He said Nigeria will avail itself of opportunities that abound in Sweden being a knowledge society, ranked as the most digitalized economy in the world.
Addressing the delegates, he said,” Your global competitiveness depends on the ability to create, develop and, make practical use of new scientific discoveries. They invest in knowledge and competence and have used ICT as a key developmental tool and in creating jobs for her citizens. This is a special area interest and Nigeria will like to share and learn from Sweden”.
He said Nigerian government’s strategic focusing on broadband development and e-Government master plan fit squarely with the sustainable development goals for future growth plans.
“I am happy to learn you know that with the planned auction of the 2.6GHz spectrum and the release of auction time table, the road to broadband boom in the country is very close. Government is headed for bigger and better tidings from the industry”, he enthused.
Shittu stressed that the aim of the visit was to share knowledge, build new long-term relationship and strengthen current relationship which can drive innovation and stimulate entrepreneurship as well as contributing to improved welfare and empowerment of people.
He expressed confidence in the Swedish-Nigeria Conference co-hosted by the Ministry and Swedish Embassy saying, it is set not only to map out collaborative efforts between Sweden and Nigeria but also for the fact that it is taking place in Nigeria.
He added that it is designed to further identify policy benefits, business opportunities, technology solutions, shared best practices and form a strategic relationship that drive Nigeria’s ICT and telecom industry in this period of economic meltdown to profitability and growth.
The minister assured the delegates that Nigeria will collaborate with Sweden in the area of ICT “to achieve the SMART Government Initiative as enshrined in the ministry’s Communications Roadmap, adding that the country will welcome more cooperation with Sweden in the area of human and institutional capacity development”.
The delegate include; Ms. Inger Ultvedt, Swedish Ambassador to Nigeria, Ms. Anna M Sundstrom, Political Adviser to the Minister for EU Affairs and Trade, and Mr. Robert Keller, Head of Mission, Embassy of Sweden, Nigeria.
Other members of the Business delegation team were, Mr. Ludvig Hermansson, Ms. Cecilia Leideman-Back, Ms. Anthonia Adenaya, Mr. Robert Nyberg and Mr. Mohammed Hosseiny.
